Dentist visit worth smiling about!

On Wednesday we went to the dentist. I knew the girls had a few cavities and would need some work done. Last time the dentist had visited the school I had them examined. They're good about brushing their teeth. We got an estimate on what needed to be done. Well, it was a little more than I had thought it would be!

I got to looking at the estimates that they had sent and they looked like they had gotten the girls mixed. After new x-rays they determined Sydney and Alex both needed a mini root canal and a crown put in, on the exact same tooth no less! OH My!

I still haven't received my new debit card yet. Clay needed his card for gas that day so I had only the check book. We check in and there is a big sign. NO CHECKS. Great! Good thing I'm always early. I had 2o mins to get to the bank, cash a check, and get back. While at the bank I got out enough to cover the estimate plus some. While the girls were being worked on I noticed there was a deductible. Uh Oh, didn't figure that in. I was starting to sweat. Sydney took over an hour, but it turned out she just needed a filling rather than a root canal and crown. As soon as the dentist was ready to start on Alex I stopped him. I told him the whole story about getting my debit card stolen, only having checks,running to the bank, and later seeing the deductible. I asked him if he thought what I had would be enough or if we should re-schedule Alex. He called across the hallway to the receptionist and told her he would take a check from us. Whew, I was relieved. Alex also took over an hour and did need a crown and root canal! I was not happy with what the bill was going to be but glad to get it all done.

Long story a little longer....... When I went to check out I found out over half the work was comped by the doc. I asked they receptionist if she had charged for everything plus our deductible. She said yes. I was floored, I started crying. I was so stressed all day, worrying about paying, then to find out I only had to pay a fraction of the cost! This dentist was such a blessing. Throughout the course of the visit I found out he was a member. I never expected him to do something like give his time and services away for free. Within 2 mins. of finishing on Alex he had his coat on and was out the door. I thought, he must be running to a kids sporting game or something. Then I was told the total and he wasn't even there to thank. I'm sooooo sending this man a thank you card! So, needless to say........ We left the dentist office happy, relieved, in a little pain, and very very thankful.

Second Opinion

So I went to my favorite neighborhood doctor to get a second opinion. All I can say is...... good thing I did! I hadn't been feeling any better since starting the antibiotics the E.R doctor had prescribed on Monday. I finally got in to Doc Pettinger on Thursday. He wasn't very happy I had waited so long. Turns out I have MRSA. Yes, that one! Very scary. Doc prescribed a new antibiotic plus told me to continue the ones I have been taking. He said if I didn't feel better by Monday he was going to cut into my neck and drain it! I can't go to work until the doc says and I've pretty much been quarantined. What to do when you find out you're gonna have to be cooped up at home for awhile??

• First: Go to Mickey D's and do the hokey pokey with the employees. Get free cookies and ice cream. Take lots of blurry movement pictures. (who knows when mom will feel like cooking again so the kids were very happy with this decision)

• Second: Load up a bunch of useless junk from various people and have a MAJOR garage sale, while mom cleans my house and watches the kids(can't go to work so I might as well make some money the hard way!).

• Third: Go nuts! Let the meds go to my head, skip showering and putting on makeup,get a really bad hair cut and dye job and call it a day! Wow what a day. I'm sure Clay is going to be very happy with my decisions for today (yeah right!)

• Fourth: Inform everyone the haircut is a joke ( a very stylish wig that fetched a whopping $3.00 at the sale!) and I DO have MRSA (boo)! Have a great day and feel free to go nuts!
  
  
  

I should've been a Doctor!

Once again................ I was at the hospital yesterday. Like I have been saying for months now, this getting RIDICULOUS! I cannot get well. No matter how careful I am, how many times I wash my hands, or how many times I wash the sheets. I am however happy to report it IS NOT STREP this time. I have no idea what it is this time.

I was eating dinner at the dinner table on Thursday with my parents and I had a bad sharp pain in the back of my head. All Night Thursday night and all day Friday my head throbbed. Come Saturday (of course the day when docs offices are closed) I get this huge red bumpy thing on the left side of the back of my head. I tried to get a docs appointment yesterday because it has gotten worse over the weekend. All my lymph nodes in my neck are swollen and sticking out. Painful, painful, painful! So I go to the E.R. because doc is full. They say I have contact dermatitis? No idea what that means. They said it also could have been a scorpion or poisonous spider??? ok, a few prescriptions later and I was back at work. I woke up today in worse pain than ever. This medicine better start working fast. I may try to get into my doc and get a second opinion. So once again, I am feeling crappy and taking antibiotics! Better than strep I guess.

My Handy Man's Handy Work.

These pictures are pretty old but I came across them and forgot what the room looked like before the shelves. I can't imagine our house with out them now. There was this weird little space in the girls room when we moved in. We couldn't think of anything else to do with the space besides turn it into a book shelf!

I think this was a very bad idea on Mommy and Daddy's part. We now have children that are addicted to books. Better books than movies like their mom, I guess. They have a cash register that they got one year for Christmas. They love to play librarian and pretend to scan the book, and scan their library cards. They have even made shelf markers to save the spot where the book they have checked out goes. What a bunch of goobers. I would so rather have a full book shelf than a room full of toys!

Looking at the before and after pictures, I am so glad we decided to make a bookshelf!

Inauguration Day

Out with the old.....In with the new.

Thank you President Bush for giving your final pardons to the Border Patrol Agents that deserved them! I can honestly say, you did something right!

I for one, do not like change. I never have. I think a change as president was needed. I hope President Obama will always have all of America's citizens best interest at heart. I wish him luck, definitely not a job I would want. I'm thankful that I don't have to brave the cold weather to watch history being made. I'm glad this historic day has come, but very leery about what the future may bring. Happy Inauguration Day!

All I can say is........

Go Cardinals...Go Cardinals....
Go Cardinals.....


Go Cardinals......

GO, GO, Go, Cardinals!!!

As for me, I'm not a big sports fan at all (as many of you may know). Clay isn't either. I do enjoy the Super Bowl however. I'm a huge fan of the commercials. I'll sit through the game just to watch them. We may just miss this years Super Bowl all together. One of my cousins is blessing his baby. I would so be willing to miss a football game for that! So Cardinals, coming from one of your biggest fans.......Good luck!

Tampa here they come!

Who says my husband can't hunt?

He's never been one to invest in state of the art hunting equipment. Not really into the whole camouflage wearing, grub box packing, 4 wheeler loading, gone for a week (or two) type camping trip.

Now, my dad, my brothers, and my Uncles? Heck Yeah, they're all for it. Their poor wives spend weeks de-scenting clothes and packing them in baking soda. They spend many a night in the kitchen preparing burritos and various other meals that their men might need.

Not my husband, no way. He goes to work, some say he hunts all day, and comes home. No vacation time needed! He may not be a die hard hunter but......

MAN CAN HE HUNT!

(with a video camera)

Tuesday's with Mommy

We spent the day with our crazy and wacky Nana. Ever been to the store Tuesday Mornings? That's where we found all these "really Great" hats! This is a store Aunt Bev would love. It has a little of EVERYTHING at bargain prices. (pink eye queen sporting sunglasses inside and the newest fashion of winter wear)
(Alex ready to go to Montana and see Araya)

(Sydney ready to ride her bike to school)

(and last but not least, Nana! She's sporting a hat that's all the rage this season!)

Piggie Painting Party!

What can make a girl feel better when she's sick?? A visit from her favorite mom!! What a fun time we had with Nana. She came over and had a sleep over at our house last night. What is a visit from Nana without painting toes, drinking Dr. Pepper, and going shopping! Talk about keeping the kids busy! Stickers! What kid doesn't love stickers! I know I, as a mom, do NOT like them. This morning I must have found 10 on the kitchen floor, about 50 in my bed (from off my PJ'S), and I'm sure there are many more yet to be discovered!

The kids love it when Nana visits. I'm glad she lives close and we get to see her often. My mom has always been a great example of how to have fun. Just ask some of my old High School friends. Man, the stories we could tell you. My Dad always worked shift work when i was growing up so, he doesn't have the faintest clue how wild his wife and kids were. Shh, don't tell.

Need to have a good time? Want to laugh until soda comes out your nose? Want to wake up in the morning and smile as you remember what you did last night?? Call 1-800-Nana!!

Fun four day weekend planned

This morning, once again, I have woken up with pink eye! Clay says I need to stop picking my nose and putting it in my eye. So, I feel for you Aunt Bev!I'm almost 30 years old, never had pink eye in my life and somehow, I get it twice in one month. I just finished washing all the sheets, pillowcases, and blankets from last time! What stinks even more.... Monday is a holiday. Once again a break from school will be spent in bed trying to get better.
I missed school yesterday because Sydney was home sick. Now this! Aarrrggggg. I absolutely hate being sick, hate pink eye, and just want all this to go away! This is getting Ridiculous! I am always fighting some kind of sickness. Well it needs to get lost, go find some one else to bug!

So, for now I'm off to put MORE drops in my eyes and call the pharmacy and get a prescription refill. Hope your weekend is more fun than mine is going to be!

Office space NOT for rent!

It's official! I now have a desk and a great job to go with it!

• The week before we got out of school for Christmas break I was informed that my job was going to be changing. I am no longer working one on one with my little girl in the mornings. I am however still working with my little Autistic boy in the afternoons.

• I got my new desk today. I can say I now have an office (or workspace). I never thought I would have a desk job but as of today, right this minute.... I'm loving it. I'm sure I'll get pretty sick of it eventually. My new job is to aid teachers in their teaching, pull kids out of class for testing or extra educational help. I'm also a co-teacher of a first grade reading family that consists of 12 students that need extra help in reading. I'll have to post a picture of my "workspace", but right now I'm a little busy trying to find the perfect accessories for my desk.

• It's funny. If you work with other people in any kind of business setting you will absolutely get the office T.V. series. At school we have a Dwight, we have a Michael (of course), we definitely have a Jim and Pam. I don't know who I would be but I would like to be the Jan of our office, I think I'm considered a Dwight though. If you're completely lost...... borrow all the seasons of The Office on DVD (another FAVORITE Christmas present from Clay) from me and be prepared to laugh.

• If you need me I'll be in my OFFICE!

Ball pit anyone?

We had so much fun today. Clay was in charge of most of the Christmas shopping this year. He did an awesome job on the girls. They absolutely loved every single gift their Dad gave them. I never had that effect on them. He really knows what he's doing when it comes to shopping for his girls (me included). He bought them 275 balls to put on the trampoline. As soon as he showed them to me I had nightmares for a week! All I could think about was sprained ankles, broken necks, and the endless trips to the emergency room that these balls were going to cause!
Once again I was wrong. What a blast. The kids have been asking me since Christmas if they could put the balls on the trampoline. I wanted to wait for a day when Daddy could enjoy them with us since it was his brilliant idea. Today was that day!

It looked like so much fun, I actually ended up jumping on the trampoline with the girls. I think we need a few more balls! The girls stayed outside for hours laughing and jumping. My kind of day, they're gonna sleep good tonight.

Here are a few presents the girls got from their Dad that they think are awesome as well:

Book lights for the car (makes car trip SUPER fun).

Silly string (big mess in the front yard but fun to watch)

Etch a sketch (fun for drawing mazes that can't be completed without an imagination)

Just to name a few! Clay did such a good job Christmas shopping, I just may turn my title over to him permanently!

Nana and Papa also came down to go to church with us. Sydney had to give the scripture in Primary and Alex had to give a talk. We had a great visit. I love it when my parents (or anyone for that matter) come to visit! Plus, my mom always does the dishes after lunch. HUGE PLUS. Love you Mom!

Dozier's Delights

I got this jar from my very talented Aunt Bev's boutique. Every month I change what is inside of it and the top foo foo thing. For January I made it a winter theme, with lots of whites and blues and of course.... snowmen! We haven't seen much snow this year but I haven't given up hope. Last year on the 22nd of January we got a snow day! James and Tammy and Araya need to send us a detailed video of the snow dance they've been doing, they have a ton of snow! Send a LITTLE our way guys. We'd be happy with any amount, just as long as it only stuck around for a day or two. Not the best pictures but hopefully you get the idea. Thanks Aunt Bev for once again starting another craft addiction for me!

Here is what I have so far for February. It's still a work in progress. I did mainly reds and whites, with a little pink here and there. I'm going to fill the jar with red feathers and pink hearts. We had so much fun shopping at Hobby Lobby with you Aunt Bev. I can't wait for our next visit. I want to make one of those picture cupboard door things next. I'll post a picture of the picture frame you made soon. Any other cute ideas let me know!

Happy Birthday Clay!

Today is Clay's Birthday.... Yippie!! These pictures were taken a few years ago. I won't tell you how old he's turning this year but you should be able to figure it out pretty easy. Notice his facial hair. That is long gone now. His face looks so young, like the spring chicken he is! Still no hair on his head, I don't think he likes the white hair that shows up when he grows it out. Hopefully he has enough steam left in him to get ALL the candles out this year. Blow ya old fart.... Blow!!!

The girls had a blast making these posters. Here you can see Alex pre eye surgery. Now we both can't see 3D thanks to our surgeries but our eyes look better!

Don't ask me who did Sydney's hair this day, surely it wasn't her mother! Sydney has always wanted to keep her hair long. Whenever we go to the salon she always tells the hair lady, Just a trim please.

Happy Birthday Clay. We love you no matter how many whites hairs you have, no matter what your facial hair might look like, and no matter how many candles you manage to blow out. You look good for your age Hottie!!

Coulda Woulda Shoulda

So my story begins on Monday. We left early from school and headed to Tucson for eye appointments. On our way home we were running really low on gas and stopped in Benson to fill up. The station that I stopped at didn't have a card reader at the pump. I COULDA went to another station, I SHOULDA gone right across the street to the Texaco and just swiped my card at the pump, had I known what a head ache that one little lapse in judgement would become..... I WOULDA gone some where else! I took my card in and told the guy I was going to fill the tank. A quick $17.00 later and we were back on the road. It had been a long day and we were all a little tired and ready to get home. We grabbed something quick to eat and made it back home just in time to get the girls a bath and get them in bed.

Now, fast forward to Tuesday evening. We get a phone call about 5 PM from our bank saying some fraudulent charges were being made using my debit card. I was confused. The woman from the bank asked if we had been online at 1 AM and if we had purchased anything. I said NO! I asked Clay, he said No. The bank woman said that's why she was calling and somebody was using my card. I had my card in my wallet so it wasn't lost or stolen. She went ahead and cancelled my card and told me to go to my branch in the morning. We checked our online banking and sure enough there were charges that we had not made.

So today I spent the day dealing with the bank paper work, getting new accounts, and making sure no other charges could be made. I then headed to Benson to file a police report. I'm pretty sure it was the guy at the gas station. That was the only time my card ever left my sight, and he had plenty of time to copy all my numbers while I filled up. The Benson officer that helped me had actually gone to High School with me. He was very polite and courteous. He then asked if I wanted to press charges if it turned out that it was this guy. I said YES!. It wasn't even the amount of money that had been charged. It was the fact that he was dishonest. We work very hard for our money and he should have to also. I bet he didn't even know I had friends and family in Benson. He probably thought I was just some out of town tourist fillin up. Well shame on him! I know the owner of the station and now know the name of the crook. I wonder how many snow birds he has taken advantage of, or how many other hard working families he has stolen from. Well, little does he know he messed with the wrong chick! He'll soon find out. This isn't even close to being over, but for now maybe many other people won't have to worry about this guy taking their money. What a hassle to change everything just because some guy thought it would be fun to take someones hard earned money! Ugghhh, what a jerk!

Morale to this story: Be careful where you fill up and always keep your card with you!